Ethiopian Airlines for Lagos-US Route
This Day (Lagos)
August 17, 2004
Posted to the web August 17, 2004
Ndubuisi Francis
Lagos
Ethiopian Airlines may capitalise on the absence of direct flights between Nigeria and the United States of America to launch its presence in the highly lucrative route as it plans stop over flights in Lagos during its Trans Atlantic operations to the United States.
The U.S-Nigeria route has since this year been bereft of direct flights. The most recent attempt was the World Airways/Ritetime Aviation partnership which came to an abrupt end early this year.
Since then, passengers from Nigeria to the United States have been facing hardshisps traveling through Europe, before making connecting flights to the United States.
Although one of America's carriers, Continental Airlines is presently making efforts to commence direct flights between both countries, Ethiopian Airlines is said to be exploring the possibilities of having a stop over at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos for its transatlantic flights to the United States.
The move, according to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) was disclosed by a three-man team from Ethiopian Airlines which paid a courtesy call on the Managing Director/Chief Executive of the Authority, Engr. Mohammed Sani Baba at the corporate headquarters recently.
The team made up of Ms Girma Shiferaw, Messrs Emeriti Tesfaye and Asmarc Askabe, it was disclosed, was in the country to explore the possibility of direct flight operations from Nigeria to the United States of America, originating from Ethiopia.
The FAAN boss who received the team was reported to have assured of the vast untapped potentials in the aviation sector in Nigeria, which, he said, is a natural regional hub in the West Africa Sub region.
Baba was said to have expressed gratitude to the Ethiopean Airlines for being a dependable ally over the years, pointing out that Nigerians have been making connections to the Far East through the airline.
Chepos From Puerto Rico, joined Dec 2000, 5972 posts, RR: 12 Reply 2, posted (8 years 9 months 1 week 5 days 10 hours ago) and read 2000 times:
Well a couple of weeks ago on justplanes.com I read Ethiopian was planing to drop EWR from its ADD-FCO-EWR-IAD route and just keep IAD in their North American Network. But who knows maybe they are planing to fly ADD-LOS-EWR instead or maybe to JFK.
Chepos
MAH4546 From Sweden, joined Jan 2001, 31119 posts, RR: 74 Reply 4, posted (8 years 9 months 1 week 5 days 5 hours ago) and read 1915 times:
Continental is starting Lagos-Newark in April 2005. There may be room for two carriers. Thouh, if there isn't, Ethiopian isn't going to be the one staying on the route. I think they should consider stopping in Accra.
ETStar From Canada, joined Jan 2004, 2103 posts, RR: 9 Reply 7, posted (8 years 9 months 1 week 5 days ago) and read 1802 times:
Continental is starting Lagos-Newark in April 2005. There may be room for two carriers. Thouh, if there isn't, Ethiopian isn't going to be the one staying on the route. I think they should consider stopping in Accra.
It is to be recalled that ET has operated flights into the US with a stop over at FCO which do not involve boarding extra passengers from FCO to the US. So, if they have been able to do this for a while, I am sure they would be able to sustain low loads from LOS and still maintain that routing.
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From Canada, joined Jan 2004, 2103 posts, 
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